Javelinas set for Corsicana

Javelinas head to the Heritage Bowl

Throughout the 2022 football season, the Javelinas saw immense highs and lows and after the final game of the season ended in a loss, it looked like the season was over.

However, that was not the case at all. The Javelinas were invited to the Heritage Bowl game on Dec. 3 against the East Central Tigers.

For players like Craig Clemons, Isaiah Bean and Isaiah Jacobs, who will be graduating soon, a chance to end their college football career on a high note has now been increased. One aspect of the game to look out for is the defensive secondary as they look to bounce back from the recent loss.

“We’re definitely fired up in the secondary, right now it’s about getting back to the basics and getting back to the drawing board,” Jacobs said. “I think you’ll see a better defense as a whole.”

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive end Bean let it be known that the Javelina pass rush will look to improve and be better.

“All we have been doing in terms of preparation is practicing more to get better and sharpen up our pass rush and work on our technique and fundamentals for this bowl game,” he said.

Overall, this looks to be a much more focused and prepared group of defensive players who are looking forward to controlling the game and getting back to what they were known for earlier in the season.

Another player excited for this bowl game is Clemons who has been an outstanding wide receiver as well as kick-off returner and punt returner for the Javelinas this season.

“I feel like with enough time off we got a chance to get a sort of bye week and focus on a lot of the little things that we didn’t focus on in the season, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming game,” Clemons said.

Along with this, the players voiced how they felt in representing TAMUK in their first bowl game since 2016.

“It is definitely something we wanted. Obviously, the season had a lot of ups and downs and the big goal was to make the playoffs but now it’s about writing our own history and putting Kingsville back on the map,” Jacobs said.

Clemons would add on to this by saying, “You got to feel a sense of pride all throughout every sport because just getting back into that conversation and being bowl eligible means a lot to the community around us and the alumni as well as the guys that came before us and kind of getting back on track, so it feels good.” put her in the position to be selected for greatness.

Bean was also vocal on this grand moment for the team.

“It feels really good to have a program come back to what it needs to be and what they deserve to be. I feel like the coaches and the guys deserve that and I’m happy we were able to get into a bowl game,” he said.

The effort the team has put into this season has not gone unnoticed and neither has what Head Coach Mike Salinas has done since taking over as the head coach and ultimately seeming to turn the program around and head towards success.

“I am proud of our players and staff for all of their hard work up to this point and this team has a ton of faith and belief in each other and we are excited to get Javelina football back in a bowl game,” Coach Salinas said.

The Heritage bowl will be at 12 p.m. on Dec. 3 in Corsicana, Texas at the Community National Bank & Trust Stadium at Tiger Field. The game will air on The CW 23 or tune in at Javelina athletics to watch on the LSC Network.

“I think our coaches did a good job with clear communication throughout the tournament of what they wanted to see so it made it easier for us to have one common goal,” Jackson said, “and for my teammates I think everyone had good high energy throughout the match, so it kept everyone on board.”

Her hard work and dedication will never go unnoticed from being named the first ever Javelina LSC Defensive Player of the Year in 2020/2021 to now being selected playing on the All-Tournament Team.

“I think this helps me realize like…it’s obviously an obtaining goal for me so just for going into next year it makes me think of like…if this is what I can do in one game just imagine what I could do in more games if we were to get further down” Jackson said of the tournament run.

Jackson has been a great asset for the Javelinas since she started her athletic career here in 2021 she has been the only Javelina to start in all 23 matches in 2021 rolling into 2022.

Head Coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez has made sure that the team continues to play at a high level and set goals for not only themselves but the team.

“As far as this year goes, I think they met a lot of the goals we set for the team…it was a pret- ty successful season,” Coach Allen said. “With this particular group of girls they had fairly good chemistry throughout the season, a lot of the girls had the right mindset and continued to work during the hard times.”

Assistant Coach Gary Payne keeps the team on their toes and focused on the important aspects.

“Coming together as a team and playing together as a team we had multiple options this year with different hitters… and I think with us being diverse being able to set different hitters made us a lot better as a whole team,” Payne said.

The Javelinas will continue prepping as they get ready for next season.